List of Illustrations viii
Series Editor’s Preface ix
Acknowledgments xi
Timeline xii
Introduction 1
Talking about Freedom 2
Scholars Weigh In 3
Why Revolution? 5
Comparing Capitalism and Socialism 8
Latin American Attitudes 12
1 Cuba through 1959 15
Colonial History 15
The Colony in the Republic 20
Revolution: A War, or a Process? 28
2 Experiments with Socialism 36
Analyzing the Situation: Economic Backwardness 37
The 1960s: Experimentation and the Great Debate 40
The 1970s: Institutionalization and the Soviet Model 45
Cuba in the 1970s: How it Worked 46
1986: Rectification 51
How Democratic was Cuban Socialism? 51
3 Relations with the United States 54
The United States and Cuba 55
In their Own Words: U.S. Policymakers Respond to Revolution 57
Covert War: Up to the Bay of Pigs 63
Covert War: After the Bay of Pigs 65
The Missile Crisis 68
After the Missile Crisis 70
The War Continues 72
4 Emigration and Internationalism 75
Miami 78
Beyond Miami 80
Cuba’s Global Reach: Beyond the Cold War 81
Cuba and Black Internationalism 82
Cuba in Africa and Latin America 84
Civilian Aid Missions 86
5 Art, Culture, and Revolution 88
Literature 89
Film 94
Music 98
Sport 100
Dance 102
Food 103
Political Culture and Cultural Politics 105
6 Cuba Diversa 110
Race 110
Gender 116
Sexuality 119
Religion 123
7 The “Special Period”: Socialism on One Island 126
1993–95: Rapid‐Fire Reforms 126
Social Impact of the Market Reforms 130
Limits to Capitalism 132
Charting New Territory 134
Contradictions: Inequality and Jineterismo 135
Opting to Leave: The 1994 Exodus 138
Debate and its Limits during the 1990s 141
Debating Democracy 142
Limits to Debate 146
8 Cuba into the Twenty‐First Century 149
From Perfeccionamiento to Recentralization 150
Disillusionment 153
Cuba after Fidel: A New Era? 155
Civil Society into the New Century 159
U.S. Policy: The Bush Era 163
Cuba, Venezuela, and the ALBA 164
Barack Obama and Raúl Castro: A New Relationship? 166
Analyzing the Changes 168
Conclusion 171
Glossary 174
Notes 177
Bibliography 198
Index 214
Aviva Chomsky is Professor of History and Coordinator ofLatin American, Latino and Caribbean Studies at Salem StateUniversity. An active member of Latin America solidarity andimmigrants rights movements for decades, she is the authorof several books, including Undocumented: How Immigration BecameIllegal (2014), Linked Labor Histories: New England,Colombia, and the Making of a Global Working Class (2008), and They Take Our Jobs! And Twenty Other Myths about Immigration(2007).
"Approaching Cuba's revolutionary experiment with third-world
socialism from a decidedly sympathetic, progressive, and
anti-imperialist standpoint, Chomsky does not shy away from airing
the revolution's dirty laundry even if she places most of the blame
for its troubles squarely at the feet of its more powerful neighbor
to the north." - "Latin American in Focus: Cuba "(ABC-Clio,
2013)"This excellent short history covers a number of themes while
managing to be exceptionally insightful... Chomsky brings a
balanced breath of fresh air that not only informs readers but also
illuminates the topic. Summing Up: Essential. All
levels/libraries." (Choice, 1 August 2011)"This fact alone makes
Chomsky's volume a welcome addition to the historiography of Cuba,
and more broadly, Latin America . . . Chomsky's book is concise
(less than 200 pages of text) and highly readable, two
characteristics favorable for course adoption." (The Americas, 1
July 2011)"In the case of the Cuban revolution, this book fulfils
that intent and appears as a useful addition to the available
teaching material. Its division in chapters that can stand alone,
based around the themes of economy and politics, relations with the
United States, migration, culture, diversity, the special period
and Cuba in the 21st century, would allow teachers to use
particular sections as class material in a wide range of courses.
Tighter editing for the next edition could make it more useful
still." (Reviews in History, 9 June 2011"An overview of the
political and economic events is combined with a look at this
social impact through an examination of the lives of ordinary
people." (Times Higher Education Supplement, 24 February 2011)"This
book is a useful textbook for undergraduate students and a welcome
addition to the historiography on the Cuban Revolution. I would
even strongly recommend it to any tourist visiting the island since
it is concise, very well written, and easy to digest." ("Hispanic
American Historical Review," 1 August 2012)
"This excellent short history covers a number of themes while
managing to be exceptionally insightful... Chomsky brings a
balanced breath of fresh air that not only informs readers but also
illuminates the topic. Summing Up: Essential. All
levels/libraries." (Choice, 1 August 2011) "This fact alone makes
Chomsky's volume a welcome addition to the historiography of Cuba,
and more broadly, Latin America . . . Chomsky's book is concise
(less than 200 pages of text) and highly readable, two
characteristics favorable for course adoption." (The Americas, 1
July 2011)"In the case of the Cuban revolution, this book fulfils
that intent and appears as a useful addition to the available
teaching material. Its division in chapters that can stand alone,
based around the themes of economy and politics, relations with the
United States, migration, culture, diversity, the special period
and Cuba in the 21st century, would allow teachers to use
particular sections as class material in a wide range of courses.
Tighter editing for the next edition could make it more useful
still." (Reviews in History, 9 June 2011"An overview of the
political and economic events is combined with a look at this
social impact through an examination of the lives of ordinary
people." (Times Higher Education Supplement, 24 February 2011)"This
book is a useful textbook for undergraduate students and a welcome
addition to the historiography on the Cuban Revolution. I would
even strongly recommend it to any tourist visiting the island since
it is concise, very well written, and easy to digest." ("Hispanic
American Historical Review", 1 August 2012)
Selected as CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title for 2011 -
3.01.12"This excellent short history covers a number of themes
while managing to be exceptionally insightful... Chomsky brings a
balanced breath of fresh air that not only informs readers but also
illuminates the topic. Summing Up: Essential. All
levels/libraries." (Choice, 1 August 2011)"This fact alone makes
Chomsky's volume a welcome addition to the historiography of Cuba,
and more broadly, Latin America . . . Chomsky's book is concise
(less than 200 pages of text) and highly readable, two
characteristics favorable for course adoption." (The Americas, 1
July 2011)"In the case of the Cuban revolution, this book fulfils
that intent and appears as a useful addition to the available
teaching material. Its division in chapters that can stand alone,
based around the themes of economy and politics, relations with the
United States, migration, culture, diversity, the special period
and Cuba in the 21st century, would allow te
"Summing Up: Essential. All levels/libraries." (Choice, 1 August
2011)"This fact alone makes Chomsky's volume a welcome addition to
the historiography of Cuba, and more broadly, Latin America . . .
Chomsky's book is concise (less than 200 pages of text) and highly
readable, two characteristics favorable for course adoption." (The
Americas, 1 July 2011)"In the case of the Cuban revolution, this
book fulfils that intent and appears as a useful addition to the
available teaching material. Its division in chapters that can
stand alone, based around the themes of economy and politics,
relations with the United States, migration, culture, diversity,
the special period and Cuba in the 21st century, would allow
teachers to use particular sections as class material in a wide
range of courses. Tighter editing for the next edition could make
it more useful still." (Reviews in History, 9 June 2011"An overview
of the political and economic events is combined with a look at
this social impa
"This fact alone makes Chomsky's volume a welcome addition to the
historiography of Cuba, and more broadly, Latin America . . .
Chomsky's book is concise (less than 200 pages of text) and highly
readable, two characteristics favorable for course adoption." (The
Americas, 1 July 2011)"In the case of the Cuban revolution, this
book fulfils that intent and appears as a useful addition to the
available teaching material. Its division in chapters that can
stand alone, based around the themes of economy and politics,
relations with the United States, migration, culture, diversity,
the special period and Cuba in the 21st century, would allow
teachers to use particular sections as class material in a wide
range of courses. Tighter editing for the next edition could make
it more useful still." (Reviews in History, 9 June 2011"An overview
of the political and economic events is combined with a look at
this social impact through an examination of the lives of ordinary
people." (Times Higher
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